Bayakoa Stakes at Hollywood Park
Las Vegas, NV - Betfair Hollywood Park will be the scene of The Bayakoa, a Grade 2 stakes race for fillies three years old and upward this Saturday, December 8. The race will cover 1 1/16 miles on Hollywood Park's synthetic track and a $200,000 purse will be on the line.
The Bayakoa has attracted a field of eight females to go in race 6 on Hollywood Park's Saturday card. Post time is 3:04 PM. Here is a look at the past performances of all eight entries ahead of this Grade 2 race.
2012 Bayakoa Stakes Race Favorites
Inglorious - Canada's champion three year old filly and runner up for horse of the year in 2011 makes just her fourth start this year. Most recently she finished third in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes at Woodbine way back on July 8 after a disappointing fourth in the Grade 2 Nassau to follow up a second to fellow Marketing Mix in an Allowance race at Keeneland. Inglorious closed out 2011 here with a third place finish in the Grade 3 Selene Stakes after a troubled sixth in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes. Prior to that unflattering result she won three in a row including the Woodbine Oaks and the Queen's Plate and La Lorgnette Stakes. She has placed in three of her last four starts but hasn't tasted victory since June of last year. She does have five wins in six career starts on synthetic surfaces but also has been out of action since July.
Class Included - has been mighty impressive this year winning six of eight starts including the Grade 3 Ballerina Stakes two back and a host of minor stakes races but she makes her synthetic debut Saturday. She has 17 career starts with 10 wins and six second place finishes - pretty darn good! Last time out however was a seventh place finish in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic - the only time she has placed out of the money.
Bayakoa Stakes 2012 | Remaining Field Entries
Willa B. Awesome - Willa B. Awesome has five wins (four stakes races), three seconds and four third place finishes in 17 career starts. She had two straight wins in the spring - the Melair Stakes on this track and before that an impressive score in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks over Reneesgotzip on March 31. Since those wins she has struggled a tad - a sixth in the Grade 2 Hollywood Oaks, a third in the minor Fleet Treat Stakes, a ninth in the John Deere California Cup Distaff and a third last time out in the minor Cat's Cradle Handicap here November 18.
Charm the Maker - Finished fourth in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel and finished second in the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet to end 2011. Her three starts after that were OK - an eight in the Grade 1 Las Virgines March 3 was followed by a fourth in the Grade 3 Providencia and a decent second behind Byrama in the minor Unzip Me Stakes September 29. Last time out was another OK finish - a third in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss at Santa Anita October 27. Trainer Ron McAnally has won this race four times before and will be looking for a fifth with Charm the Maker.
Bayakoa Stakes betting at Hollywood Park with OffTrackBetting.com
Open Water - finished a decent third in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes March 3 but followed it up with a disappointing seventh in the Grade 2 Hollywood Oaks. After that was an impressive second in her turf debut in the Grade 2 San Clemente at Del Mar on July 22 and a game third in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on August 18. Last time out Open Water was fifth in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss to follow another fifth in the Grade 1 Garden City Stakes at Belmont September 15.
Lady of Fifty - Jerry Hollendorfer filly has five wins and three third place finishes in 10 career starts and is coming off a win last time out in the minor Palm Springs Handicap at Santa Anita November 1. She hasn't run a graded stakes race since February - a sixth in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate but she has shown well on synthetic tracks as demonstrated by her win in the California Oaks on synthetic earlier this year.
Changethechannel - will be making her stakes debut on Saturday after six career starts yielded two wins including last time out in an Allowance Optional Claiming here November 23. She also won a Maiden Special Weight in September but has finished out of the money in her other four career starts.
Madera Castana - is a veteran of 27 career races but has just two wins, eight seconds and five third place finishes in those starts. In 2012 she has four seventh place finishes, a sixth, a third and a second last time out in an Allowance Optional Claiming on this track November 30.
